Netflix has announced a documentary examining the controversial 2019 Jussie Smollett hate crime case, claiming to present “new evidence” that questions the official narrative.
“The Truth About Jussie Smollett?” will premiere on August 22 and features interviews with police, lawyers, journalists and investigators. According to Netflix’s description, the 90-minute documentary tells the “shocking true story of an allegedly fake story that some now say might just be a true story.”
Smollett, who starred as Jamal Lyon on Fox’s “Empire,” reported being the victim of a violent hate crime in Chicago in January 2019. He claimed two men attacked him with racial slurs, poured a chemical substance on him, and placed a rope around his neck.
The initial reports sparked widespread public support from celebrities including Viola Davis and Shonda Rhimes, while politicians like Kamala Harris and Cory Booker condemned it as an attempted modern-day lynching.
The case took a dramatic turn when Chicago police identified the alleged perpetrators as Nigerian American brothers who worked as extras on “Empire.” Evidence later emerged suggesting Smollett had orchestrated the attack and paid the brothers $3,500.
Smollett was initially indicted on 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct, but the charges were dropped. He was later re-indicted and convicted in 2021 on five felony counts, receiving 30 months probation including 150 days in jail and fines exceeding $120,000.
However, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2024 on procedural grounds, ruling that the re-prosecution violated due process.
Director Gagan Rehill said the documentary aims to balance competing narratives while examining the cultural moment of 2019, “when, as a society, we were becoming more combative, more polarized, more divergent over our shared reality.”
The film is produced by RAW, the company behind Netflix hits “Don’t F**k with Cats” and “The Tinder Swindler.”
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